2023-15613. Availability of the Draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) and Related Salts

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice of public comment period.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 60-day public comment period associated with release of the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) and Related Salts. The draft assessment was prepared by the Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD). EPA is releasing this draft IRIS assessment for public comment in advance of a contractor-led peer review. Public comments received will be provided to the external peer reviewers. ERG, a contractor to EPA, will convene a public meeting to discuss the draft report during Step 4 of the IRIS Process. The external peer reviewers will consider public comments submitted in response to this notice and those provided at the public meeting when reviewing this assessment. EPA will consider all comments received when revising the assessment post-peer review. This draft assessment is not final as described in EPA's information quality guidelines, and it does not represent, and should not be construed to represent Agency policy or views.

DATES:

The 60-day public comment period begins July 24, 2023 and ends September 22, 2023. Comments must be received on or before September 22, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

The draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) and Related Salts will be available via the internet on the IRIS website at https://www.epa.gov/​iris/​iris-recent-additions and in the public docket at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2021–0562.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information on the public comment period, contact the ORD Docket at the EPA Headquarters Docket Center; telephone: [phone]; facsimile: 202–566–9744; or email: [e-mail].

For technical information on the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) and Related Salts, contact the IRIS Hotline; email: [e-mail]. The IRIS Program will provide updates through the IRIS website ( https://www.epa.gov/​iris) and via EPA's IRIS listserv. To register for the IRIS listserv, visit the IRIS website ( https://www.epa.gov/​iris) or visit https://www.epa.gov/​iris/​forms/​staying-connected-integrated-risk-information-system#connect.

For questions about the peer review, please contact: Laurie Waite, ERG, by email at [e-mail] (subject line: EPA PFAS assessments peer review); or by phone: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at https://www.regulations.gov

Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2021–0562 for the Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) and Related Salts IRIS Assessment, by one of the following methods:

• www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.

• Email:[e-mail].

• Fax: [phone].

• Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202–566–1752.

For information on visiting the EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room, visit https://www.epa.gov/​dockets. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is 202–566–1744. The public can submit comments via www.Regulations.gov or email.

Instructions: Direct your comments to docket number EPA–HQ–ORD–2021–0562 for Perfluorohexane Sulfonate (PFHxS) and Related Salts IRIS Assessment.

Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will be marked “late,” and may only be considered if time permits. It is EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket without change and to make the comments available online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless a comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information for which disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information through www.regulations.gov or email that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected. The www.regulations.gov website is an “anonymous access” system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at www.epa.gov/​epahome/​dockets.htm.

Docket: Documents in the docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other materials, such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket in the EPA Headquarters Docket Center.

Wayne Cascio,

Director, Center for Public Health & Environmental Assessment.